The first
and practically only time I ever heard of “Citizen’s Arrest” was from the old Andy
Griffith show. I don’t remember the
context, but I remember Gomer chasing
after Barnie Fife for not stopping at a stop sign or something minor and
yelling in that Gomer twang, “Citizens arrest, citizen’s arrest.”
It was very
funny.
Nothing
funny about citizens arrest when someone is killed.
Someone killed because maybe he was involved in a
crime, maybe I think he looked like maybe someone. Maybe someone was killed from a citizen's
arrest because he didn’t look like someone that typically might live in the
neighborhood.
Maybe.
Citizen's
arrest in this day of cell phones and cameras everywhere, should not
exist.
OK, maybe if
someone is holding you up, and he drops his gun and you are able to kick his ass,
you could hold him until the police arrive as a “citizen’s arrest.”
Maybe if
someone yelled “stop thief” and you saw another person running from a little
old lady while he was carrying a pocketbook, maybe you could stick out a foot, trip him and hold him for
the police.
Maybe.
Otherwise,
citizen’s arrest is stupid.
Driving
around a park with a shotgun and a pistol, chasing after someone you think
might be a thief, is not a citizen’s arrest, that is vigilante bull shit.
I’ve seen
the video, maybe there is more to the story, but I have seen the video. I know the difference from someone running
away from a crime, and a jogger.
This person
killed during a citizen's arrest was a jogger.
Trotting down the middle of a park road and not racing full speed
through the bushes and trees on either side of the road is a jogger, not a
thief.
Can you
resist a “Citizen's Arrest?”
Not only can
you, but you probably should.
Two nasty
looking dudes in a truck, one with a shotgun the other a pistol tell you to
stop while you are jogging. Running away
or fighting back is not resisting citizen's arrest, it is fighting for your life.
I don’t always
trust the police. If someone flashes a
badge at you while driving down the road, are you being arrested by the police,
or carjacked by an ass-hat with a fake plastic badge?
Citizen's arrest
is bull shit. If someone is killed
during a citizen's arrest, that is citizen’s murder.
OK, I don’t know
all the facts or details of this case, but it sure does not look good. I’m sure these yahoos will now get a fair
trial.
A fair trial
is not something someone killed during a citizen’s arrest ever gets.
So sad and why anyone thinks they have the right to do that to another human is beyond me. If someone is on my property trying to break in I would not shoot first...call 911! If we're threatened and it's life or death then take action. But seriously, this is so so sad. I pray for this young man's family. This will cause more problems down the road I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteBravo!
ReplyDeleteThat is an incredibly tragic story. Of course, it is in the south - so I wonder...
ReplyDelete'Vigilante bullshit' is putting it kindly. . .
ReplyDelete'Citizens' don't get to use lethal force as if they were real police; there is something Barney-Fife-ish about it, except that someone's husband and father didn't come home that night. All because a couple of crackers went n****r-hunting.
I am no-shit aghast that shit like this would happen today, and that in THREE MONTHS the police did nothing at all. Except. . . Georgia. . . If I were a decent Georgian, I would be PISSED at those a$$holes. . .
I haven't followed the story very closely so I don't know all the details being released. It is a sad story though. Couple weeks ago a young man lost his life here. He chased down a hit and run driver who left their car. He was helping the car that had been hit. He got the 3 young men who had run from the car and made them sit down on a street corner and held his gun to them. Arizona is an open carry state. While he was waiting for police to get there another of their buddies came up behind the man and shot him in the cheek. He died. I think he was 22 years old. The kids involved were all under 18 years old. I am thinking not doing a citizen arrest is probably a safe practice.
ReplyDeleteBetty
You so aptly said what has been rattling around my brain for days. Thanks Joe.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard "Citizen's Arrest" for quite some time and I agree it is outdated and should no longer be allowed unless, as you say, you spot someone actually committing a crime and are able to stop them. Vigilantes need to pull their heads in and think about what they are doing. They won't of course.
ReplyDeleteI remember that episode and always wondered how in the world that could work in real life. It's mean to say, but I'm glad I live in the north.
ReplyDeleteWell said Joe, I was going to blog about this myself, made me heartsick. IT WAS A LYNCHING! Sadly it didn't shock me as much as this happening in February and this father & son being allowed to go on their merry way until the world cried foul. Well, good luck with this pair after they go to prison... I'm sure in Georgia, there's a lot of angry black men who'd like a word with them.
ReplyDeleteIf you are not an officer, call the police if you see something suspicious, get photo or video if you can, but do not overstep your authority. How hard is it, people? For these people, way too hard.
ReplyDeleteFrom the time I saw that video I too thought there is more to the story than what is being told.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that always worries me is the fake plastic badge. How can you trust someone who just flashes a badge for a few seconds?
sadly it happened here either few times when people out of fear and terror caught a running thief and burnt him after beating
ReplyDeleteit happened when theft was obvious and often in Karachi and people were furious and searching some punching bag to release their anger
I hope those two get life without parole. They hunted that young man down like an animal. It's horrible.
ReplyDelete